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Are my rose colored glasses affecting my vision? posted by PowderedH2O

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Oh, that trip back in memory lane.

 

I haven't written a journal in over two years. It isn't that I died or had no desire, I just had other things going on. I went back to grad school to finish work on my Doctorate in Education, so I was studying a lot and my money was going toward tuition and books as opposed to collectibles. So, I finished up in late July (well, except for the dissertation) and now I can sort of get back to my life.

I found myself reading a lot of comic books from the early to mid seventies recently. Specifically, I've been looking at 1973-1978 mostly. Nothing in particular. I bought some Marvel Team Up, Kamandi, Mister Miracle, Thor, Captain America, Shazam, Fantastic Four, and a wide variety of other things. I've actually been kind of cheap, since I didn't want to spend money on the expensive stuff. The whole time that I was reading these books I was thinking "Man, comics were so great! I wish they were like this again!"

So, I wonder, were they really that great? I mean, were they better than the 60's or the 80's? Or now? I really don't know. What I do know is this: I was 8 years old in 1973, and a more fervent comic book reader did not exist. In mid 1974, my dad took a job in a very small town (pop 202) and I knew nobody and when I got to school right away I was the new guy and I spent fourth grade pretty much alone. But, every Saturday we drove to the nearest town and I'd go grocery shopping with my mom and I'd hit the comics rack and talk mom into 3-5 comics. So, I can safely say that comics from this time period were my best friends. I must have read the Spectre Adventure Comics at least 100 times each. The same goes for the Thors of the mid 230's. I didn't remember the covers, because those got ripped off after the 8th or 9th reading. After a year, we moved out of the small town and I could resume life, but comics were still a big part of it.

So now, I find myself reading these same old books (and a few that I didn't own back then) and I wonder if I am reading them with the eyes of a 51 year old. Or, am I reading them as an 8-12 year old read them back in the 70's? And are my rose colored glasses affecting my vision? I wonder if today's kids will think back upon their comics (or video games or whatever it is that makes them happy) and remember how great things were back in the day.

 

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I was a teen in the 80's and in my opinion the mid 80's was the greatest era.

 

Let me state my case.

Frank Miller's The Dark Knight

Alan Moore's Swamp Thing

Miracleman

Wolfman/Perez Teen Titans

Paul Levitz Legion of Super Heroes

Omega Men

Eagle Comics Judge Dredd

Crisis on Infinite Earth

and some miniseries called Watchmen

 

The defense rests

 

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All great titles. The adult me enjoys almost every one of those titles (although, not really a big Frank Miller fan - just a little too dark for my tastes). But, the kid me loved those old books. I wonder if most people are partial to the things that they grew up with. Did you guys happen to be teens or college age in the 80's? Just curious.

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Regardless of how you (or I) may feel about Frank Miller the influence of The Dark Knight is immeasurable.

 

I was a kid in the 70's but there really isn't a whole lot I loved from that era. Jack Kirby was producing some cool stuff and there was some interesting experimentation but overall I didn't think it was that great. Marvel did some really awesome stuff in the 60's while DC was kind of spinning its wheels. The 90's were.... terrible. There is some good stuff from the 90's but it was mostly a disaster of a decade. I really can't think of any era that can compare to the 80s.

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There are a TON more and I actually was thinking of that one. You could add TMNT, New Mutants, John Byrne's Alpha Flight, Howard Chaykin's The Shadow, The Rocketeer. The list goes on and on.

oh yeah..I just thought A.Flagg would be the most overlooked,forgotten.

Lone Wolf and Cub..

h20 I was younger..born in 77

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The 70's comics were great. I am probably saying that because I am a few years younger than you, but I am all about the Bronze Age. I can look at 5 comic book covers and instantly be transported back to my youth, since these were some of the first ones I purchased off the rack:

 

Hulk #190

Invaders #2

Captain America #197

Iron Fist #11

Amazing Spiderman #168

 

Nothing Earth shattering about those 5 books, certainly affordable in high grades, but to me they represent personal key books. The above probably explain why I am more into Marvel back issues than DC, why Captain America was always a favorite of mine, why the Wrecking Crew were always my favorite bad guy team, and why I never really got into Mutants.

 

 

 

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Can I toss in Simonson's run on Thor? One of my favourites from that time. And for funny animal fans, Don Rosa's new Uncle Scrooge stories were miles ahead of any Disney material being published today.

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The 70's comics were great. I am probably saying that because I am a few years younger than you, but I am all about the Bronze Age. I can look at 5 comic book covers and instantly be transported back to my youth, since these were some of the first ones I purchased off the rack:

 

Hulk #190

Invaders #2

Captain America #197

Iron Fist #11

Amazing Spiderman #168

 

Nothing Earth shattering about those 5 books, certainly affordable in high grades, but to me they represent personal key books. The above probably explain why I am more into Marvel back issues than DC, why Captain America was always a favorite of mine, why the Wrecking Crew were always my favorite bad guy team, and why I never really got into Mutants.

 

 

 

I'm the same way. A lot of "key books" to me are virtually worthless. I probably was/am a 50/50 Marvel and DC guy though. For example, I totally dug the Adventure Comics issues with Spectre and Black Orchid. You can get the whole lot of them for under a hundred bucks. I liked the X-Men, but not as much as Fantastic Four. Glad to see you throw out Iron Fist and the Invaders, I loved both of those books (and in the early 80's, I got a letter printed in PowerMan/Iron Fist!).

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I love the Silver and Bronze books for their innocence. It was a simpler time. I was an 80s kid and enjoyed collecting all the new stuff during that time. As an adult I just find the 60s/70s books much more enjoyable. Not to mention the ads and letters pages. You really get a feel for the time period. Good stuff.

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